The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 183: Scholar Juyul (6) - Teaching Benefits Both Teacher and Student "To teach someone is, at the same time, to elevate oneself." *** There are two most famous groups in the martial world that deal with 'information'. The gathering of beggars said to be found everywhere in the world, the Beggar Sect. The alliance of despised professions such as coachmen, boatmen, servants, and courtesans, the Hao Sect. (E/N: For those that don't know those kind of stories. Beggar Sect usually is associated with the 'righteous'/'orthodox' faction, Hao sect is the 'evil'/'heretical'/'unorthodox' side) They are often categorized as the orthodox Beggar Sect and the heretical Hao Sect, but this was actually quite unfair from the Hao Sect's perspective. The disciples of the Hao Sect at least work as members of society and 'earn' their meals. But the beggars of the Beggar Sect go to successful shops or wealthy household banquets and 'beg' for their meals. If you think about it logically, isn't the latter more wicked? It's also ridiculous that they have no choice but to beg because they lack strength and are poor. If they learned martial arts and gained bodies and minds much stronger than ordinary people, shouldn't they use that to work? "In the end, it's all about connections. Just because there were orthodox sect leaders who were friends with Beggar Sect masters, the Beggar Sect became a symbol of heroism while we became synonymous with being sinister. I don't know what the previous sect leaders were thinking. If they had just served well beside the first martial alliance leader when he was at his peak, we would have secured a place among the orthodox sects by now." Hao Sect leader Oh Ga-myeong said this while chewing betel nuts with smacking sounds. He wasn't unaware that it was a bad habit for his health, but as the leader of the Hao Sect where staying up all night was routine, he couldn't help but rely on betel nuts that helped keep him awake. Honestly, there was no guarantee he could live long enough for his body to be ruined by betel nuts anyway. "What's more troublesome is that even though we were pushed into the heretical path, the heretical sect people don't treat us well either. We're just a neighborhood punching bag, a punching bag. Or a magic pouch that spits out information when you beat it." "......" At Oh Ga-myeong's words, the man waiting at attention in front of him couldn't say anything in response and just rolled his eyes around. Because it was ambiguous whether that was a monologue or a question directed at him. Finding that sight quite amusing, Oh Ga-myeong chuckled and said. "I can see right through your head. Fuck, why am I here, why is that bastard sect leader just spouting nonsense in front of me after calling me here, am I screwed? Something like that, I suppose." "N-no, sir!!" "It's fine. If I were suddenly called by the sect leader during my low-ranking days, I would have imagined all sorts of things too." Oh Ga-myeong sat cross-legged, propped his chin crookedly, and spoke to the man before him. "So, how was it when you met her in person?" "Wh-who are you referring to?" "Who else would it be? One of the Seven Hegemons. Zhang Hualing of the Trampling Fire. You were threatened by that woman and provided information without receiving a penny. What use is a Hao Sect disciple if they arbitrarily leak information that is the sect's asset?" "I-I'm sorry!! It was because I was threatened and had no choice...!" "That's enough. Just answer what I'm asking. How was it?" At Oh Ga-myeong's question, the man gulped. It would be meaningless to talk about Zhang Hualing's simple appearance or clothing here. The sect leader must want something else. "She was well-behaved." "Well-behaved? That woman who's notorious for her violent outbursts even among the Seven Hegemons?" "She did threaten me, but she didn't actually use violence on me, and above all, her purpose itself was to save a child. She mercilessly slaughtered the Blood Wolf Gang's warriors, but that level of killing isn't uncommon even for orthodox sects, except for some sects that restrain from taking lives." "Even heretical sects can save people when necessary. Perhaps the girl has a special constitution, or maybe that family is wealthy enough to demand compensation." "I thought the same, so I investigated the girl's background, but it was just an ordinary household. They live day by day, barely making ends meet. They don't have the luxury to prepare for the future or save money." "You might not know about her constitution unless you checked her pulse." "That's true. But if her constitution was the purpose, there should have been something like taking her elsewhere or making her practice martial arts, but she just saved her and that was it." "So one of the Heretical Seven Hegemons just saved a girl who had no connection to her?" "It's not that they have no connection... they seem to attend the same academy." Oh Ga-myeong's mouth gaped open blankly for a moment. He spat out the betel nut he was chewing, straightened his posture, and asked again. "Are my ears playing tricks on me? An academy? Zhang Hualing attends an academy?" "That's correct. It's an academy established by a young scholar, and it's said to teach all kinds of subjects without distinguishing between male and female, young and old." "Hmm. Hmmmm. That's quite strange indeed." Oh Ga-myeong kept tilting his head in bewilderment. They say skilled information brokers detect suspicion in parts that others casually overlook, but this was a matter that even a three-year-old child on the street would find suspicious, let alone an information broker. "...You. You're called Zhang Oh, right? Enter that academy. Go and find out what kind of place it is, what the scholar's identity is, and why Zhang Hualing is there." At Oh Ga-myeong's instructions, Zhang Oh was shocked. "P-please wait a moment! Zhang Hualing already knows my face! If it's an infiltration investigation, you should send someone else—" "Who told you to investigate in hiding? Just go in openly and say to that scholar directly, 'I came from the Hao Sect. Would you accept someone like me?' And if necessary, say you can provide needed assistance." Zhang Oh stood frozen with his mouth agape as if his jaw had dropped, then barely regained his senses and asked back. "A-are you serious?" "Anyway, when someone of the Seven Hegemons' level is keeping watch, our guys can't hide with their skills. You were mixed among countless people, but she spotted you immediately, right? In such cases, it's better to just go in openly. If they say no, you just come back. If they say yes, you get to study on this opportunity too. Nothing bad about it, right?" Zhang Oh couldn't bring himself to retort that having to take classes in the same place as that terrifying woman of the Trampling Fire was bad in itself. No matter how loose the hierarchy of the Hao Sect was compared to other sects, there was a gap like heaven and earth between a single disciple and the sect leader. Since such a person had directly pointed to Zhang Oh and given an order, he had no choice but to do it, whether it turned out well or badly. "Understood." After Zhang Oh left with a tearful face, bowing his head. Left alone, Oh Ga-myeong took out a scroll from the drawer of the desk in front of him and checked its contents once more. "Mu Hyeok, Heaven-Breaking Lord of the Seven Hegemons. Frequently in contact with fellow Seven Hegemons Nine Kill Sword, Corpse Demon Flower, and Ghost Mountain Strategist." "If these individuals unite under Heaven-Breaking Lord's leadership, it is estimated that a core heretical organization will emerge to replace the fallen Samaryeon." "High possibility of approaching other Seven Hegemons as well." Oh Ga-myeong, who had been staring intently at the phrases written there, soon muttered casually. "...An academy, an academy. Ha, really. If she were just an ordinary woman, she might have been able to study peacefully." *** "Sister, sister. How can I become strong like you? Is it martial arts? Can't you teach me too?" "I've heard before! They say if you learn martial arts, your face becomes pale and you become beautiful!" "So that's why Sister Zhang is pretty!" Giggle. Hearing the academy's girls chattering and laughing, Zhang Hualing pressed her forehead with one hand. Feeling as if a headache was coming on, she said. "Do you think becoming strong like me is easy? For a snot-nosed brat like you, it's impossible from the start, so don't even dream of it. And martial arts creates a balanced body, not some special whitening effect." "I'm not a snot-nosed brat!" "Anyway, it does make you prettier, right? Please teach us!" "Me too, me too, please teach us! I want to meet a wonderful husband and live happily!" "Aaagh! You're noisy!! Teaching martial arts is not such a light matter!!" Unable to stand it any longer, Zhang Hualing shrieked, but the girls of the academy, led by the most persistent Soyeon, merely puffed out their cheeks as if calling her petty, not showing the slightest bit of fear. After the recent Blood Wolf Gang incident ended. Zhang Hualing's reputation for single-handedly storming into enemy territory and rescuing the victims became widely known throughout the academy. This was because none other than the first victim, Soyeon, had spread that story far and wide. For Zhang Hualing, this was inwardly absurd. Logically, if that young girl had experienced such a thing, she should have been shocked and tried to erase it from her memory as much as possible, or at the very least, felt fear toward Zhang Hualing who had killed people en masse. But rather than keeping her distance from Zhang Hualing, Soyeon actually clung to her even more actively than before the incident, begging to be taught martial arts, and seeing this, other girls were swept up in the atmosphere and sang the martial arts song. Even though they couldn't say it outright, the boys in the same classroom were also glancing over, showing signs that they secretly wanted to learn too. Zhang Hualing had created her own martial arts by desperately stealing others' techniques in real combat where she would have died a hundred times over if not for the dragonkin's naturally strong physique, so she was simply flabbergasted by their behavior of begging to be taught martial arts as if asking for snacks on the street. Should I give them a good smack? But what if I get kicked out by Juyul for beating up the kids? No, honestly, wouldn't I be innocent even if I hit them a little? Zhang Hualing, who had been having various complicated thoughts, soon tried to get out of the situation by making a suitable excuse. "Ahem, think carefully. Isn't this Juyul's academy? There is clearly a separate teacher, so wouldn't it be disrespectful to his authority for me to act as a teacher within it?" At Zhang Hualing's words, the children seemed to think it made sense and showed signs of reluctant acceptance despite their disappointment. Zhang Hualing's relief at somehow brushing it off was only momentary. "But if the teacher's authority is important, shouldn't you also not call the teacher by his name casually?" "Come to think of it, that's right? Why does Sister Zhang call the teacher by his name? Your way of speaking too." "Uh." At the unexpected counterattack, Zhang Hualing froze completely. "Th-that is because there is a pact between me and that person. Juyul has also permitted it, so I have nothing to be concerned about." "Then if I just get permission from the teacher, I can learn martial arts from you?" "No, that's..." It was when Zhang Hualing was struggling desperately. "—If it's something like that, I'll gladly give permission." At Juyul's words, who had somehow approached and joined the conversation from the side, the children all cheered in unison. "Really, Teacher?" "I too still have much to learn and am vastly lacking, so how could I claim only my teaching is right and block another's teaching? It is proper to grant permission." "Wait a minute!!" Zhang Hualing cried out urgently. "What nonsense!! Why are you giving permission for me to teach my martial arts!?" "Hehe, I have never forced you to teach, have I? I merely stated that there is no restriction against someone other than me giving instruction in this academy. Whether you actually provide teaching or not is entirely up to you." "That's not what I'm talking about right now...! Don't you truly know that martial arts are like life itself to a martial artist?" "Oh my, that's a statement that views the value of life quite cheaply." "What?" To Zhang Hualing, who raised her eyebrows, Juyul spoke calmly. "The essence of martial arts is self-defense and killing. To regard the power learned to protect life as equivalent to life itself is nothing but putting the cart before the horse. Needless to say, if it's for killing others." "You..." A blazing heat seemed to rise from Zhang Hualing's eyes. For her, who took great pride in the 'power' she had honed and polished, Juyul's words that seemed to belittle the value of martial arts were absolutely not something she could easily overlook. Sensing the ominous atmosphere, the children nearby reflexively stiffened their bodies. In response, Juyul opened his mouth. "Then how about this? If your martial arts are so important to you, then improving and elevating them to a higher level should have equivalent value. I shall attempt to accomplish this." "Are you saying that if you improve my martial arts, in return I should teach my true martial arts to the children?" "I know that would be unreasonable. Your martial arts are fundamentally based on the powerful Blazing Yang Energy you were born with. Moreover, unlike ordinary martial arts that center on the lower dantian below the navel, yours centers on the middle dantian near the heart, so those born with ordinary constitutions would only harm themselves if they tried to learn the same martial arts." Gasp. Zhang Hualing's body trembled greatly. Because Juyul had accurately pinpointed the characteristics of her self-created martial art, the Red Fire Demon Art. Toward her, who had fallen into shock, Juyul said. "As for the martial arts themselves, I have something prepared. However, it would be difficult for me alone to teach this to all the students in the academy, so I merely hope you would take on the role of instructor. What do you say? Will you accept the wager?"